Joe Andenucio has left his mark on the Pueblo sports scene

Joe Andenucio has been anything but an ordinary Joe in the Pueblo sports community.

Andenucio was inducted into the Greater Pueblo Sports Association Hall of Fame in 1996 as an athlete, coach and contributor.

Andenucio, 61, remains a staple in Pueblo sports today, but being a sports fixture was the last thing on his mind when he was growing up in the Steel City.

Like many children, Andenucio was passionate about sports. He played football and baseball at South High School before graduating in 1970.

“I always loved playing sports and I knew I wanted to coach one day,” Andenucio said.

Following high school, Andenucio went to Lamar Community College from 1970-72, where he was a catcher on the school’s baseball team. Andenucio then moved on to play his final two years of college baseball at Adams State College.

When his athletic career ended, Andenucio student-taught in 1975 before landing his first full-time teaching job in 1976.

“I spent half a day at Boone Elementary School and half a day at Avondale Elementary School as a physical education teacher,” Andenucio said. “It was really fun because they never had a P.E. teacher. The kids were excited.”

In 1977, Andenucio got a job at Pueblo County High School as a driver’s education teacher.

“I was at Pueblo County High School for 33 years,” Andenucio said. “I taught P.E., health and weightlifting.”

Andenucio left his mark on the baseball field. He was the Hornets baseball coach from 1977-96.

“The thing I can say about my baseball teams is we always competed,” Andenucio said. “I had a lot of great memories coaching baseball.”

A couple of those memories stuck out.

“I also coached 17 summers as Pueblo County’s B Legion coach,” Andenucio said. “Ronnie Downs and Dennis Downs and that crew, when they were like sophomores, they had a 4-24 record and the next summer they went 24-4 and that was a special season.

“Then in the late 1980s, we went down to Hoehne to play Gerald Maglia’s team. I didn’t have any idea where Hoehne was. We got down there and he had a field of dreams. We played a doubleheader and had a cookout after the game.

“To this day, Gerald and I are still good friends. Plus, all of the players on my team then, if I run into them, all they want to talk about is that trip to Hoehne. That was really a kick in the pants.”

Andenucio is going to return this fall to coach Pueblo County High School’s boys golf team and he also has stayed active in the local baseball community by running the prestigious Tony Andenucio Memorial tournament. The tourney, which honors his father, just finished its 34th annual version this past Father’s Day at the Runyon Field Sports Complex.

“The tournament evolved from the perspective of a coach,” Andenucio said. “We wanted to make this the best tournament possible.

“What is most valuable to me is our whole family helps run this tournament, and it has no sustainability without all the support of the administrators at Runyon Field, past and present. I just have so many great memories from this tournament and just all the people I have gotten to know over the years.”

Andenucio has two grown children, Joe Andenucio Jr., 27, who lives in Manhattan, N.Y., and Angie, 23, a Western State College graduate. Angie, who played basketball in college, is an assistant basketball coach at East High School and the freshman volleyball coach at Pueblo County.

Although Andenucio has retired from teaching, he has kept plenty busy on the golf course.

“I play a lot of golf,” Andenucio said. “I always mix a little fishing in and I travel a little bit. My mother Carrie is going to be 90 years old. She still lives here in Pueblo and I take time taking care of her place and my place.”

Andenucio also serves on the Runyon Field and Pueblo Rural Fire District boards of directors. He also serves on the St. Therese (Vineland) Parish council and he is a member of the Sons of Italy.

“With all those things I stay pretty busy,” Andenucio said. “Life is a bowl of cherries right now. Life is really good.”